thenhlfandomcom-20200215-history
Brian Elliott
| birth_place = Newmarket, Ontario, Canada | career_start = 2006 | catches = Left | team = Calgary Flames | former_teams =Ottawa Senators Colorado Avalanche St. Louis Blues | league = NHL | draft_team = Ottawa Senators | draft_year = 2003 |}} Brian Elliott (born on April 9, 1985) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted by the Ottawa Senators in the ninth round (291st overall) of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft and has also played for the Colorado Avalanche and St. Louis Blues. Playing Career Early Playing Career Brian grew up in Newmarket, Ontario, playing minor hockey for the Newmarket Redmen AA and the York-Simcoe Express AAA teams in the Ontario Minor Hockey Association. While attending Newmarket High School, he took the school's boys hockey team to the championship, winning it in 2000. Brian was not drafted by an Ontario Hockey League (OHL) team in 2001 and he returned to York-Simcoe for Major Midget the following season. After a solid season in the Eastern AAA Hockey League, Brian was signed by the Ajax Axemen of the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League in 2002–03. Ottawa Senators After a standout season with the Ajax Axemen in 2002–03, Brian was drafted in the ninth round (291st overall) in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft by the Ottawa Senators. The second-last player selected in the draft, he was not expected to progress to the NHL. After being drafted, Brian would spend four seasons with the University of Wisconsin–Madison, serving as a backup for his first two seasons before securing the starting goaltender position in the 2005–06 season. For his efforts, Brian was selected as a finalist for the 2005–06 Hobey Baker Memorial Award, collecting eight shutouts in 33 appearances, and leading the Badgers to the 2006 NCAA National Championship. Brian was then signed by the AHL's Binghamton Senators (an affiliate of the Ottawa Senators) on March 23, 2007 where he played in eight games with Binghamton near the end of the 2006–07 season. Brian was invited to the Ottawa Senators' 2007–08 training camp, but he was ultimately assigned to Binghamton on September 25, 2007. He was recalled to Ottawa four days later to back up Martin Gerber as the starting goaltender Ray Emery was recovering from wrist surgery. On October 10, 2007, Brian played in his first NHL game and earned the win against the Atlanta Thrashers. Upon Emery's return, he was sent back to Binghamton, where he played in 44 games that season. On January 9, 2009, Brian was recalled by Ottawa after being named the AHL's Goalie of the Month for December. He had been a standout in Binghamton, posting an 18–8–1 record with a 2.31 goals against average (GAA) and .926 save percentage. His play earned him the starting position for the Canadian team in the 2009 AHL All-Star Game. Brian made an immediate impact in Ottawa. The team had struggled all season with inconsistent goaltending being an issue. Craig Hartsburg, Ottawa's head coach at the time, said of the move, "We need some saves, some big saves, and he's done it down there Binghamton." He would finish the season in Ottawa, sharing goaltending duties with veteran Alex Auld. Brian's emergence effectively made Martin Gerber expendable to the team, and he would later be claimed on waivers by the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was nominated for the NHL's Rookie of the Month award for March 2009 even though he would lose out to St. Louis Blues forward T.J. Oshie. In January of 2010, he was awarded the NHL's First Star of the Week for January 18–24, and named the League's Second Star of the Week for January 25–31. Colorado Avalanche Prior to the trade deadline of the 2010-11 season,Brian was traded as a part of Ottawa's rebuilding process to the Colorado Avalanche on February 18, 2011 in exchange for goaltender Craig Anderson. After winning just two of his 12 starts with the Avalanche, combined with a sub-par 3.83 GAA, he was released as a free agent after Colorado declined his qualifying offer. St. Louis Blues On July 1, 2011, Brian signed a one-year contract worth $600,000 with the St. Louis Blues. Forming a formidable goaltending tandem with Jaroslav Halak, He revitalized his career, posting a 23–10–4 record while sporting a 1.56 GAA. He was also chosen to participate in the 2012 NHL All-Star Game in Ottawa. On January 18, 2012, Brian signed a two-year contract extension with the Blues. The deal carried an average annual value of $1.8 million. He will reportedly earn $1.7 million in 2012–13 and $1.9 million in 2013–14. After taking over for the injured Halák during the first round of the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Brian led the Blues to a series victory over the San Jose Sharks before ultimately being swept in round two by the eventual Stanley Cup champions, the Los Angeles Kings. On May 19, 2014, Brian signed a three-year contract extension to remain in St. Louis. The deal has an average annual value of $2.5 million. On January 22, 2015, he was named to the 2015 NHL All-Star Game in Columbus, replacing Columbus Blue Jackets' goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who had pulled out due to injury. On March 12, 2015, Brian tied Jaroslav Halák for the Blues' franchise record in shutouts. Five days later, on March 17, 2015, he surpassed Halák for the Blues' shutout franchise record. A 23–8–6 record during the 2015–16 NHL season earned Brian the starting role for the Blues for the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He led the Blues to a first round victory over the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks. He made 31 saves in the deciding Game 7 victory on April 25, 2015. Brian and the Blues would then move on to face the Dallas Stars, who had been the Western Conference's number one overall team. Again, the Blues prevailed in seven games. Brian's only faltering occurred in Game 6 of the series, when he was pulled in favor of Jake Allen after allowing three goals on seven shots. He would rebound the next game, making 31 saves in a decisive 6-1 victory that propelled St. Louis to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2001. Calgary Flames During the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, Brian was traded to the Calgary Flames for a 2016 second-round pick and a conditional third-round pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. Career Statistics Regular season and playoffs Accolades Personal Life Brian's father, Bill is a television director who has worked on numerous Canadian TV programs such as "The Red Green Show." He has one brother named Dan. During the off-season, he resides in Wisconsin. Brian attended Newmarket High School with his former St. Louis Blues' teammate B.J. Crombeen. Brian was taught the art of moose calling by the late Owen Scott, a champion moose caller. He paid tribute to him with a moose painted on the back of his goaltender mask. He also had Casey Jones from "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" painted on his mask. During the 2015–16 NHL season, he began wearing all blue pads as a tribute to former Blues goaltender Curtis Joseph and had his mask painted with the same design that Joseph wore. Category:1985 births Category:Ottawa Senators draft picks Category:Ottawa Senators players Category:St. Louis Blues players Category:Colorado Avalanche players Category:Canadian ice hockey goaltenders